North Carolina prospects can improve the Atlanta Falcons’ offense

The Atlanta Falcons have yet to address the need at the running back position. No, signing Mike Davis does not fix the issue.

Michael Turner was the last consistently great running back this roster has had, and that is a sad fact. The talent at this position in this year’s draft should have teams salivating at the thought of drafting any one of the current running back prospects.

Alabama’s Najee Harris is a guy that many Atlanta Falcons fans want the team to draft. The fact is he will be gone early on, and that is fine because he may not even be the best back in the draft.

Looking at the body of work of the North Carolina Tar Heels rushing attack over the last few years, it’s hard to not think about what could be if the Falcons can draft one of the two running backs that carried that offense.

The Tar Heels’ rushing attack was among the NCAA’s best over the last couple of years, and that’s because of stars Javonte Williams and Michael Carter, arguably two of the best backs who will be available in the draft.

The Atlanta Falcons should be excited about the thought of either of these backs leading the charge in the backfield.

These two rookie prospects had phenomenal careers at UNC, and both put together highly productive 2020 seasons. Williams had over 1,400 scrimmage yards and 22 total touchdowns, while Carter had over 1,500 scrimmage yards.

Both runners were no strangers to the end zone, and both proved that they are weapons on the ground and through the air. These are the types of players that would benefit greatly in Arthur Smith’s offense.

The dominating performance the two runners put together against the Miami Hurricanes last season was a performance not soon to be forgotten. Combined, they tallied 544 yards and five touchdowns on 47 attempts.

Both men showed off their athleticism and toughness, two aspects the Atlanta Falcons desperately need going into the 2021 season.

Ideally, the Atlanta Falcons would be able to get Williams in the second or possibly even third round. However, if he was to fall to another team, then Carter would be another great option to draft.

Both Williams and Carter have plenty of collegiate and big-game experience, which will benefit greatly at the next level. Also worth noting is Williams is a little bit stronger, taller, and heavier, while Carter is a bit faster and more agile.

Either one of these guys has the skillset to help turn around a struggling offense, and for a coach like Arthur Smith who loves to run the ball to set up the play-action, it’d be hard to find a better option than these two running backs.